Week 6 - Hypertension

The most common primary diagnosis in the U.S. is hypertension. Due to the fact that hypertension is essentially a silent disorder, 30 percent of individuals are unaware s/he is hypertensive. Cardiovascular disease has been estimated to total more than $320 billion in health costs in the U.S. alone. Hypertension is a significant modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Increase dietary potassium - The Institute of Medicine recommends 4.7 grams of potassium per day which is twice the U.S. average

The sources of potassium that have the greatest antihypertensive effect are fruits, vegetables, and other foods rather than supplementation. Societies who have a high potassium intake have almost no hypertension.

It has been shown that potassium supplementation also can dramatically reduce the need for antihypertension medication. In one study, 82% of individuals needed less than half of their medication dosage and 38% required no medication after a one-year follow-up.